Mayor R.T. Rybak and Minnesota Orchestra benefactor Judy Dayton today invited the public to a community celebration that they are hosting on Friday evening, February 1 to mark the Minnesota Orchestra’s nomination for a Grammy Award. The celebration will take place at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

The Minnesota Orchestra has been nominated for Best Orchestral Performance at the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards for its recording of Jean Sibelius’ Symphonies Nos. 2 and 5, conducted by Osmo Vänskä and released by the Swedish label BIS Records. The winner in the category will be announced on February 10.

Mayor Rybak and Ms. Dayton invited Minnesota Orchestra musicians and Music Director Osmo Vänskä to perform these nominated works at the February 1 community celebration. If the musicians and Music Director Vänskä accept the invitation, ticketing information will be announced to the public soon thereafter.

“The difficult labor dispute has taken its toll, but for this one night, we ask everyone to set negotiations aside and come together as a community to celebrate the Orchestra’s extraordinary achievement and listen to their beautiful, Grammy-worthy performance,” Mayor Rybak said.

“The Minnesota Orchestra is one of our premier civic treasures,” said Ms. Dayton. “We must not miss the opportunity to honor their nomination for this prestigious award, regardless of the circumstances.”

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and Judy Dayton, a longtime arts benefactor, are hoping that both sides in the Minnesota Orchestra labor dispute will set down their arms for one night and celebrate the ensemble’s Grammy nomination.

Rybak and Dayton have invited the players and music director Osmo Vanskato perform the Sibelius Symphonies No. 2 and 5 on Feb. 1 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The orchestra’s recording of those two pieces have been nominated for Best Orchestral Performance. The Grammy winner will be announced Feb. 10.

“We are obviously in a complicated labor issue right now,” Rybak said in an interview Wednesday afternoon. “But it would be a tragedy in my mind if the dispute prevented this community from celebrating the fact that we have an institution that is up for a Grammy.” …

The Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra are honored to be invited by Mayor R.T. Rybak and Orchestra benefactor Judy Dayton to perform at a Grammy celebration concert on February 1st, 2013.

The Musicians recognize the significance this Grammy nomination holds for our community and the Orchestra’s reputation, as well as the importance of joining Osmo in performing these Sibelius works for our audience.

“This is a tremendous gesture by the Mayor and Ms. Dayton,” Principal Trombonist Doug Wright said. “It will be the Musicians’ distinct honor to accept their invitation and join our Music Director on stage for a performance of these Grammy-nominated works for our community. It should be a concert to remember.”

It will be sold out in an instant. Bravo to Mayor Rybak, Judy Dayton for their sense of community and to the members of the orchestra and Osmo Vänska for their commitment to their fans, subscribers and supporters who have been locked out from enjoying this wonderful Minnesota resource far too long.

I agree with you. Her involvement with this upcoming concert is huge, not to mention the Mayor’s (!) and Vanska’s (!) — wow. This is as close to a “command performance” as we are ever likely to see in Minneapolis.

This is great! Invite the administration and board, and if they come, introduce them. The reaction would have a salutary effect on their thinking. And if they don’t show, community leaders should make clear what that implies about their fitness for their positions, too. I love win-win scenarios.

They won’t be there, unless it’s a condition of their continued employment and/or association with the orchestra to be publicly shamed, which might be appropriate under the circumstances, not to mention worth the price of admission!

When a Mayor, along with a long-time Patron announce a concert like this, where the current Music Director will conduct *during a labor dispute* (unless it’s resolved by then) — well, I think the handwriting is on the wall for all to see. Will the administration/board get the message? That’s another question entirely.